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20 February 2017

Project leaders who can communicate in high demand in Singapore

JobTech has identified the most sought-after skills by employers in the info-communications technology (ICT) sector in Singapore. The top five technical and soft skills/traits in the ICT sector
were identified and ranked based on the number of unique job postings
that employers were seeking from 1
October 2016 to 31 December 2016.

Top skills demanded by Singapore ICT sector employers

No

Technical skills

% share of all unique job postings in the ICT sector

Soft skills/ traits

% share of all unique job postings in the ICT sector

1

Project

management

> 10%

Communication/

interpersonal

> 95%

2

C++

> 10%

Analytical/

problem-solving

> 40%

3

C

> 10%

Self-motivated/

proactive

> 20%

4

SQL

> 5%

Leadership

> 20%

5

Java

> 5%

Customer service

> 15%

The data shows high demand for a common set of soft skills/traits
within the ICT sector, with communication/interpersonal skills being
sought after by more than 95% of all unique job postings in the sector,
followed by analytical/problem-solving skills, which make up close to
half of the demand. Given that communication/interpersonal
skills are required by almost all job postings in the ICT sector, they
are probably viewed as a hygiene factor* for employment, Jobtech said.

JobTech also notes that there is great variability in the demand for technical skills within the sector. JobTech has identified at least 20 different types of programming
languages that are widely demanded in the ICT sector today, including
the four in the top technical skills listed.

*A hygiene factor,
or 'dis-satisfiers', first mentioned by Frederick Herzberg in his
motivation theory, is something that does not make an employee happier
at a workplace, but would cause dissatisfaction if it is missing.